


It's not that simple.

by MissingPrincessofSweden



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Loki Wins, Awesome Darcy Lewis, F/M, King Loki
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-31
Updated: 2015-05-14
Packaged: 2018-01-27 18:59:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1719311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissingPrincessofSweden/pseuds/MissingPrincessofSweden
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loki wins and becomes King of Midgard. Fate is cruel to Darcy as she finds herself being the soul mate to the new King. Darcy is torn between her own desires and doing what's right. Is it simple to turn back fate?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In which Darcy gets kidnapped

It had been so easy.

Who’d have thought it would’ve taken only a few weeks to secure his rule on Midgard.

Loki smirked to himself at the thought of the fools who had tried to stop him ruling this primitive realm, and how easy it was to pick out each of their weaknesses and bring them to their knees. Especially his _golden brother._

Really, it was pitiful that they had all underestimated him so - he was a skilled sorcerer after all and a god. Naturally it was his place to rule and be worshipped. He would be a gracious King. Firm but fair, once all the opposition to his rule had deceased.

Mortals were so afraid of change but that did not matter, they will all get used to his status as King and give in to him once they realized that this was their natural place. Accepting the truth was so much simpler than putting up a fight – Mortals were so stubborn.

Everything had fallen into place perfectly. He had a whole planet at his disposal, as well as a whole Chitauri army to do his bidding. Well, you didn’t really think the god of lies would have kept his promise to give the Tessaract to Thanos, did you? In fact he killed the mad Titan with the very thing.

He now had ultimate control over two races. There was only one thing left to do...

The throne room’s doors swung open to reveal the group of ‘heroes _’_ who he had summoned earlier. Loki stood from his throne and beckoned them forward. The King smirked at the sight of the glowing blue eyes of the so called Avengers; the Tesseract’s influence was still strong. He would have been a fool to kill them all - they were far too useful to be corpses, even his idiot _brother._

The said group kneeled before their King in unison, before the Captain spoke. “Your Majesty, you summoned us.”

“That I did.” Loki smiled, enjoying seeing the fools kneeling before him. “You have done well in securing all of Midgard and taking out any other threats to my reign. I congratulate you. There is one more thing I need you to do, though.”

He gestured for them to stand. “There is someone I have been searching for my entire life. As fate has it, this person is a Midgardian female. Goes by the name of ‘Darcy Lewis’. I want you to find her and bring her to me.”

“Is it possible to know why you want this person?” The Man of Iron inquired. “Your Majesty.” He added later.

“I don’t suppose it would do any harm if you know.” The King mentioned, his eyebrow arching at Stark’s curiosity.

“Everyone in the universe has an intended. It is hard to know who that person is and most do not realize it if they ever meet them. But on a rare occasion, it just so happens that two souls are so entwined together by fate, that the future of everything depends on those two souls to be together. Because of this, fate makes it easier for those souls to find one another.”

“Here...” Loki patted the left side of his chest. “...is where my intended’s name lies. ‘Darcy Lewis’. My own name will also be written on her, in the exact same spot.”  

“Do you even know this for certain?” Ironman asked.

“You doubt my research!” The King stormed over to mortal, pressing his sceptre to his throat. “You doubt my knowledge as your leader!”

“N-no no, my King. Not at all.” Ironman stuttered with fear. “But are you certain she’s a girl? Darcy is a gender normative name.”

“You are very good at talking Stark. You’d better be careful or else you may find yourself without a tongue.” He lowered the sceptre from the mortal’s throat. “Do not worry. I know for certain that she is female, I can sense it.”

“We shall find her, my King.” Thor bellowed. “Jane Foster has tracking equipment that may assist us in our search.”

“Use whatever you need to find her, but I do not, under any circumstances, want her harmed. If I see so much as a scratch on her when she is brought to me, you will all join your friend in the dungeons. Am I clear?”

“Yes your Majesty. We shall begin our search at once.” Said the Captain.

“Do _not_ fail me.” Loki spoke, dripping with threat. He dismissed them.

                                                ***

The group of ex-heroes soon found themselves wondering where to begin.

“I’ll make a crack down on all the people called Darcy Lewis.” Stark said. “It can’t be that common a name, surely.”

“Darcy Lewis. _Darcy..._ that name is familiar.” Thor pondered out loud. No one else was listening as they were all far too deep in thought... until Jane arrived.

“Right. I’ve got all sorts of tracking stuff in here.” The astrophysicist announced, placing a large box of all sorts of gadgets on the floor. Stark immediately went to look inside the box.

 “This stuff should help. Once we actually know where King Loki’s soul mate is.” Stark said.

“Who are we actually looking for?” asked Jane.

“A ‘Darcy Lewis’.” Everyone said unison as if it was obvious.

Jane froze. _Darcy Lewis_.

Her eyes met with Thor’s, clear that they both were thinking the same thing.

“She was with you when I last fell to Midgard, wasn’t she?” Thor asked the astrophysicist, already remembering the answer.

“Jane? Is there something that you know?” asked the Widow.

“Darcy Lewis is the name right?”

“That’s what he told us.”

“Darcy Lewis was my intern in New Mexico.”

“Well it’s a start.” Rodgers mentioned.

“Yeah, _one_ Darcy Lewis.” Stark pointed out. “Do we even know if it’s the right one?”

“I think it’s worth finding her.” Romanoff joined in. “Even if she isn’t King Loki’s intended, she can still be useful to us.”

“Yes.” Jane agreed. “It’ll be safer for her to be here than out there on her own. It’ll also be nice seeing her again.”

The group soon decided on a plan. With their brilliant minds it took next to no time to track Darcy and they were soon on their way to get her.

                                                                                                          ***

 

Darcy was doing okay.

Okay in a sense that the world’s been taken over by aliens and everyone she ever knew was probably dead or enslaved.

Oh, who was she kidding? It was the end of the world! She was anything but okay.

How did it even come to this? Darcy didn’t understand. One day she was just looking after the labs for Jane and Erik who had gone to New York, the next thing she knew aliens were attacking. Darcy remembered panicking and rushing to get to safety, safety being hiding in the labs with food and a knife.

She must have been there for at least 48 hours before she deemed it safe enough to come out of hiding. The aliens were gone, but so were all the people. She liked to think that everyone ran away, but what was the point in being optimistic anymore.

She tried ringing up everyone she knew, but no one was answering. So here Darcy was, alone, clueless and without hope. Darcy had it all but she took it for granted. She had dreams, ambitions, but now it all seemed like an unrealistic fairy story. That is how much things have changed.

It had been several weeks since then – probably – Darcy had no idea what day it was. All she knew was that she’d stopped crying at last, now she just felt numb.

She didn’t care about anything anymore. Why should she? There was nothing left to care about – or fight for. Maybe going mad in her isolation wouldn’t be too bad, but she wanted to stop thinking. Maybe a walk would clear her head.

Plodding through the wrecked town, Darcy came to the conclusion that she wouldn’t mind if she died here, sure no one would find her body but she would be free _._

The sound of a plane zoomed in the distance. Great, she was hearing things. Darcy was either going insane or her rumbling stomach was giving her hallucinations. Darcy looked up towards the sound; a small aircraft flew over her head, the droning sound fading as it landed in the desert. She must be dehydrated as well.

Darcy turned around and strolled the other direction for another couple of minutes.

“Darcy!”

She spun around towards the voice. “Jane?” It couldn’t be. Darcy began to run towards the figure in the distance, hoping that it wasn’t a mirage.

“Jane!” Darcy shouted as she drew closer and the woman snatched her up in her arms.

“Oh my god, it’s you! You’re alive!” Darcy squeezed the woman tighter, overwhelmed with joy at seeing her friend.

“You’re safe now Darcy. You don’t need to worry anymore.” Jane soothed.

“Oh Jane, I can’t believe it! I was so worried and - Ah!” Darcy felt a sharp pain in her upper arm. She pulled away from the astrophysicist’s tight embrace to see a needle in other woman’s hand.

“Jane what did you-“ Darcy completely stopped. Jane’s eyes were glowing blue. She stumbled backwards in confusion. “Your eyes! What’s happening-”

“You have nothing to fear Darcy. You’re with us now.”

“Us? Who is ‘us’? I don’t-“ Darcy’s head started spinning like a carousel. There were figures in the distance that started getting blurrier as the moved closer. Darcy’s eye lids grew heavy as she felt her knees buckle, luckily falling into a pair of arms instead of hitting the ground.

“You’re safe Darcy. You’re with us now.”

Darcy slipped into darkness.

                                                                                                                           ***

 

Darcy shifted in her sleep. Where was she? What happened?

“Darcy?”

Oh please say it was all a dream.

“Darcy?” The soft voice repeated, gently shaking her shoulder. Darcy flickered her eyes open to see alien blue irises. Not a dream then. She sat up quickly, sending a shot of pain to her head. Darcy winced as she went to raise her hand to her forehead as her upper arm was still stiff from the injection given to knock her out.

“Take it easy Darcy, it’s alright.” Jane soothed.

“Where the fuck am I? What did you do to me?”

“Just relax Darcy; it’s all going to be fine.”

 Darcy ignored the other woman and surveyed her surroundings. Judging by the interior, she was inside a small plane. In the cock pit were two secret-agent like people; a red haired woman and a blondish man. A tall blond man with a shield stood on the other side of the plane with - Tony Stark! He was in his Ironman suit as well! - Minus the helmet.

Unfortunately, any hope Darcy had was quickly diminished when she saw the glowing blue eyes of the men.

“Lady Darcy!” She turned to the bellowing voice above her. “Thor?” His eyes were glowing too, was there nothing that could save Darcy now?

“It is good to see you awake at last. I apologize but Jane felt it necessary to put you to sleep.”

“Did she now.” Darcy shot a look at the woman next to her.

“I know how feisty you are Darcy. You would never let us see if you _were_ the King’s soul mate otherwise.” Jane explained. Her slight whimsical expression and soft tone creeping Darcy out.  

“Ok let’s back it up a bit here. Jane, your eyes are blue. Really freaky blue... what the fuck has happened to you?”

“I have so much knowledge now Darcy. I’m experiencing true freedom.”

“No Jane! This isn’t freedom. I have no idea what this is but... oh god it isn’t normal. ”

“Darcy you don’t-“

“Shut-up Jane, you’re not even you!” Darcy yelled in frustration, startling the astrophysicist.

Darcy stood up – ignoring her dizziness - and marched up to Thor. “Tell me what’s been going on Thor and don’t you dare lie to me! Why has the world been taken over by aliens?”

“The Chitauri are my brother’s army. He is now the King of Midgard and has gifted us truth in return of our loyalty to him.” Thor too had the strange whimsicalness that Jane had, frightening and confusing Darcy.

“You’re brother? Loki? Didn’t he send that fire-robot thing to kill you last time?”

“I now know my true place. He was always meant to be King.”

“What are you talking about Thor? This guy has taken over the planet, killed people, enslaved people! You don’t know what’s happened to you, do you?” Darcy sighed. She knew it was hopeless. They weren’t themselves anymore, they were being controlled and they didn’t realize it. _Why did this have to happen to them?_

“You’re being controlled. How can you not see this? Even I can see this! What the hell! Where are you even taking me to?”

 “We’re taking you to the King.” The tall blond with the shield stated. “We were sent to find his intended and by his name written on your chest it’s turns out that’s you.”

“What name on my chest? I’ve just got this weird birth mark but that’s...wait a second. How do you know about the mark on my chest?”

“It was the only way to know that you were King Loki’s soul mate.” Jane spoke.

“So you thought it would be ok to violate me? I don’t even have a nice bra on. And what do you mean ‘soul mate’? That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” Darcy pulled down her t-shirt to reveal the brown shapes on the left side of her chest. “It’s just a really weird birth mark, see?”

“No, Lady Darcy. That is old Norse, the written language of Asgard.” Thor expressed.

“Ok. I’m not about to argue with zombies. But guys seriously - Jane don’t you think this all sounds ridiculous? C’mon, you’re a scientist; surely you realize that the world’s going to hell.” Darcy shook the woman’s shoulders as if it would bring the Jane she knew back. “Don’t you realize that a psychopath has taken over the world and made all of you his mind slaves? Wake up Jane!” She pushed the woman away before hitting Thor in the chest with a frustrated scream.

The worst thing was they still had that mindless expression on their face. Exhaustion overcame Darcy, causing her anger to morph into sadness. Damn it all. Damn the hope she felt when she saw her friend only for it to be a trap to kidnap her. Damn the fucking so-called King to hell for taking over her planet and enslaving everyone. Damn her too.

“Buckle up everyone. We are about to land.” The red head announced.

Darcy let herself be pulled down to sit beside Jane. She let the astrophysicist buckle her to the seat; she didn’t have the energy to fight anymore. She felt the plane slowly descend, glide for a while longer before ultimately slowing down to a stop. The plane doors opened with a mechanical hiss, Jane unbuckled herself before unbuckling Darcy and pulling her up to stand. Thor led the way out of the plane, swiftly followed by Jane who held Darcy’s hand tight like she was a child. The rest followed after.

Darcy exited the aircraft to find herself walking through what could only be described as a gigantic garage filled with all sorts of aircrafts and spaceships all parked next to each other. Darcy didn’t get a chance to look at the spaceships as she was pulled along into a corridor. Such a contrast to the dark garage Darcy had to squint until her eyes adjusted to the brightness.

“Jane, where exactly are we?” Darcy questioned.

“King Loki’s palace. We’re going to present you to him.”

“Well thanks for being so specific.” Darcy muttered sarcastically. As long as Jane wasn’t herself she would get nothing from her. She couldn’t help but think that maybe it was better to have everyone she knew be dead, that way they would have been themselves and died free, rather than be mind slaves and forced to do a psycho’s bidding. Were they even aware of what was happening?

Jane held her hand in a bruising grip that wouldn’t loosen, if anything it got tighter when Darcy tried to pull her hand free. Thor was in front swinging his hammer with each step in a threatening way that made Darcy gulp. Walking on her right was the blondish man, Darcy’s breath hitched when she saw the bow and arrows. On the opposite side to her was the red-haired woman with two hand guns. (Though her stern expression could probably kill as well.) Marching behind her was the tall blond with the shield and Ironman – with the helmet this time.

Darcy wondered if this is how a mouse felt before the trap came snapping down.

Soon they arrived at a large golden door. _Oh God!_ Darcy’s heart pounded so loudly with dread that Darcy couldn’t hear her own thoughts. The door opened. Darcy tried in vain to rip her hand free but Jane’s grip didn’t soften. The unresponsive woman kept her gaze forward and pulled the struggling Darcy into a throne room.

Darcy kept up her losing fight. She may be small in stature, have no upper arm strength or anyone left to fight for, but she was fighting for herself now and there was one thing Darcy Lewis was and that was defiant.

The astrophysicist suddenly threw Darcy forward –narrowly missing Thor who stepped out the way – and fell to the floor.

“My liege, we have found Darcy Lewis.” Thor announced.

“I can see that, you oaf.” A deep smooth voice sounded with annoyance.

Darcy looked up. Well, she certainly wasn’t expecting the horned helmet.

The Asgardian on the throne met her eyes.

The entire world froze.

Sudden dumbness and thoughtlessness struck Darcy and judging by the expression on the King’s face, it has struck him too.

A sudden force tugged the two people to stand. Something twisted around Darcy and slowly pulled her closer to Loki. She didn’t resist.

Loki was faster and strode over to the woman until he was close enough to tower over her. The helmet sure added to the height.

There they were staring intently at each other as the world turned to dust around them. Darcy couldn’t breathe; it looked like he couldn’t either. Loki’s expression was soft yet intense - as if he had waited for this. His long pale fingers ghosted over her skin, travelling over her features, lingering over her open lips, before suddenly cupping her cheek.

Darcy shuddered at the electricity of the touch. Something inside Darcy coiled up before springing free, causing a chain reaction of explosion through her. Darcy’s breathing grew laboured as the euphoria consumed her. The King wiped away the tears she didn’t even know she was shedding. His touch was overwhelming but she wanted more. Darcy reached up and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as Loki laid an open palm on her back and pulled her flush against him. The King bent down to firmly claim her lips. Darcy grew dizzy as she melted into him, fiercely kissing back with fervour.

 _He’s the one._ Darcy thought as the kiss broke. Still in a tight embrace, Loki pressed his face into Darcy’s unkempt hair, his warm breath caressing her ear.

“My King.”

“What!” Loki roared, straightening up but still keeping Darcy locked against him.

“What is it?” The King snarled. The group refused to look at him, he laughed at this. “I’m sorry, is it not proper for a king to show his affection to his queen so freely?”

He let Darcy go and turned her around to face the group. “Kneel before your queen.” At once they all dropped to their knees. It was then Darcy woke up from her dreamy hysteria and pulled away from the King’s grip on her shoulder.

Her heart still thundered a heavy beat but not out of fear. What was all that? What did he do to her? Pity flooded Loki’s eyes as he looked at her; he cupped her face in his hand.

“My Queen has had a trying day.” He nodded to two guards. “Take her to our chambers.”

Darcy was too confused and let the alien guards lead her away. Soon, Darcy was pushed inside a room, the doors slammed behind her and the sound of lock followed after. Today had ended much like it had started, with Darcy alone and clueless. Darcy flopped down onto the large green bed, she was so tired.

Darcy was trapped, her friends were enslaved and didn’t know it and the bastard who had taken over the earth had kissed her and she let him! It was so strange, all of a sudden she had become star struck and felt...complete. They didn’t speak one word to each other before going at it like rabbits. The horrid realization came to Darcy. _No!_ Darcy stormed to a nearby mirror and revealed her birthmark. She always knew that it looked weird but for the first time she could clearly see that it was a series of runes. _Norse?_ But there was no such thing as soul mates, this couldn’t be true.

Darcy should have kicked him in the balls for what he’s done, but no she had to kiss him back instead. So yes, he was gorgeous and everything she wanted but Loki was still a power hungry douche bag... and dangerous.

Darcy jumped at the sound of the door being unlocked and swung open. Loki proudly stepped into the room with a smirk, shutting the door with a wave of his hand. His leather armour and horned helmet disappeared with a wave of green, leaving him in leather pants and a loose green shirt. He twisted his up turned hand making again a wave of green to appear and fade, leaving in his hand a gold and green necklace. Loki then stalked over to Darcy like a predator, moving his hands to the back of her neck to join the ends of the necklace together.

“Fit for a queen.” Loki smiled, cupping the back of Darcy’s neck and pressing their foreheads together. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been searching for you?”

“I’ve only just discovered that you exist.” Darcy breathed.

Loki moved back and pulled his shirt down to reveal Darcy’s name written on his skin. He took Darcy’s hand a pressed it over the brown writing. His heart was beating just as fast as hers. “Fate has made you mine, Darcy. And it has made me yours.” He placed his free hand over Darcy’s heart. “We were born to be together.” Loki whispered.

Any previous thoughts had melted as Darcy launched herself at his lips – causing a whirl wind of emotion to run through her once more. She forgot about the world and everyone in it - this is what Darcy wanted, not realizing that soon she would be walking into fire.      


	2. In which Darcy gets lost

Chapter 2

Loki ghosted his long fingers over the sleeping figure next to him, tracing the shape of her shoulder, waist and hip. As much as he wanted to touch her, he didn’t want to disturb the serene peace of this moment – so the King merely gazed at his other half.

Apart from being mortal, she was perfect in every way. A perfect specimen of a woman – and now she belonged to him.

Not only was she beautiful, but she also had a feist within her that he liked. Loki could taste the fire she spewed as they kissed, both fighting for control in their love making.

In the end she had submitted to his dominance, and he consumed her.

The King was now admiring the necklace that hung around her pretty neck; a constant reminder of whom she belonged to. Loki could tell that she didn’t take the news of being his intended very well yesterday - the poor little lamb had probably never heard of such a thing as souls being entwined together. However, it was no matter. She will learn to like it here, learn that he is the lion; then will her stubbornness cease.

Loki studied his Queen a while longer before pressing a kiss to her temple and crawling out of the bed. With a flick of his wrist he was donned in his leather armour with his sceptre in hand.

In a flash of green he disappeared to do his days business as King.

                                                                                                                            ***

 

Darcy awoke in a tired haze. Rubbing her eyes, she slowly sat up and stretched. God, she ached all over.

Loki was gone - _Figures –_ and Darcy was left alone, naked in a king sized bed, and feeling utterly disgusted with herself. She had completely melted into that jackass’ arms and let him have his way with her like a whore. Any protest she had melted from her tongue and her head turned into a dizzy haze of joy.

When he touched her she felt so whole and now he was gone it was as if a part of her had been torn. She had never felt so...empty.

She fidgeted with the jewellery that was wrapped around her neck. It was incredibly ugly necklace in Darcy’s opinion. Large tear-drop shaped emeralds dripped off the thick gold chain, suspended by smaller chains that hung just below her collarbones. If she had any sense yesterday she would have thrown the trashy thing out the window – but no. She had to get all weak at the knees and fall into bed with him.

Never again. This was a murderer, an alien. She would knock the horned helmet off his head before she ever let him touch her again.

First things first, she needed to sort herself out.

Darcy was in the process of wrapping a sheet around her naked form when there was a knock at the door.

“Who is it?” Darcy called.

“It’s Jane, your Highness.” A muffled voice answered back.

“Um... come in?”

The door creaked open and Jane shuffled in with a silver tray of food. The woman kicked the door closed before turning to Darcy.

“Good morning, your Highness. Did you sleep well?”

“Um – ‘sleeping’ is one way of putting it.” Darcy uneasily answered, not quite sure what was happening.

Jane came over a put the tray onto Darcy’s lap. “Wait, I get to have breakfast in bed?”

“Of course your Highness. His Majesty has ordered that your new life is now one of leisure.”

Darcy would have smiled at that thought, but this was the guy that had taken over her planet and enslaved her friends. The ugly truth hit her like lightning – she was a prisoner.

“Jane, you don’t have to call me ‘your Highness’.” Darcy urged.

Jane’s whimsical expression fell. “The King ordered that we call you “highness”. You are going to be our Queen, it’s only respectful.”

“I’m your friend Jane. I use to be your intern; you don’t need to be respectful to me.”

“Yes I do.” Jane said calmly. “You are the soul mate of our King and he gave me so much. I honour him by honouring you as Queen.”

“All he gave you were blue eyes, he doesn’t deserve honour!” Darcy exclaimed.

The other woman’s expression remained still.

“Well...dishonour on you, dishonour on your cow.”

Jane’s expression didn’t change.

 Darcy let out a frustrated sigh and collapsed back onto the pillows. Even a Mulan reference didn’t get through to Jane.

“Eat up your Highness. Then I can get you ready for the day.” Jane said.

Darcy didn’t realize how hungry she was. She hadn’t eaten for at least a day or two so her rumbling stomach was beckoning for food. Darcy ungracefully stuffed her face with bacon, eggs and French toast. All washed down with orange juice.

Jane removed the empty tray and placed it on a side table. The woman then walked over to the other side of the room where two doors were – one white and the other gold.  Jane opened the gold door, reaching in and bringing out a white silk robe.

 _Some sort of closet?_ Darcy thought as she crawled out of the bed. Jane came over and slipped the robe onto Darcy’s shoulders. The woman then led her over to the white door, opening it to reveal an incredibly fancy bathroom.

Why did the bathroom have to be fucking gold?

“I’ll be right out here your Highness.” Jane said. “Don’t hesitate to shout if you need anything.”

“Thanks Jane.” Darcy said, entering into the bathroom and shutting the door.

She quickly showered and washed her hair, noticing the different types of shampoos, conditioners and body washes that on the side. It was clear that they had been expecting her - but for how long?

Darcy soon exited the bathroom, finally awake though not really up for the day.

Jane dried her hair and zipped her into a blue dress – simple and elegant, though not really suiting the golden-emerald necklace she wore.

“Jane, can you help me get this thing off?”  Darcy beckoned to the necklace.

“You want to take it off?”

“Yes. It’s ugly and it doesn’t go with this dress.”

“I would, your Highness. But I can’t.”

“What do you mean you can’t? Is Loki threatening you? God! Well I’m not scared of him. I hate him. Just watch me take it off.”

“No, your Highness. I would gladly take it off, but I can’t because only the King can remove it.” Jane explained

“What do you mean?”

“He put a spell on it so no one – except him – could remove it.”

“Oh yeah he can do magic, can’t he?” Darcy realized. “How do you know all this?”

“The King told us after you retired yesterday. He also announced our roles in which we serve you.” Jane elaborated.

“Okay? So you’re my maid. Is Thor my cook? I can imagine him mashing potatoes with the myuh-myuh.” Darcy smiled at the thought.

“No, your Highness. Thor’s job is to protect you. Everyone else’s role is also to protect you. The King ordered it.”

 ‘Protect’ _-_ what a nice way to say trapped.

“Can you just try to take this necklace off anyway?”

Jane fiddled with the back as Darcy tried to tug it off her neck. After several minutes of tugging and pulling, it was clear that the necklace would never come off. Darcy was now stuck wearing this noose.

“I’m sorry, your Highness.”

“It’s not your fault Jane. None of this is your fault.”

 “The necklace doesn’t clash with the dress too badly.” Jane reasoned.

“It’s not a necklace, it’s a collar.” Darcy muttered.

Jane slipped a pair of ballet flats onto her feet. “Your arrival has been quite short notice, so it’s been a scramble to try and find clothes and shoes.” Jane mentioned.

“Yeah, I did wonder about that.”

“I managed to find these back in New Mexico.” Jane held out a familiar pair of glasses.

“Oh Jane, thank you.” Darcy said as she slipped the glasses on. She at least had her eye sight back.

“It’s almost 12 o’clock now, you’re getting measured at two-“

“Measured for what?” Darcy interrupted as Jane escorted her out of the bedroom and down the hall.

“You’re being measured for your wedding dress.” Jane said softly.

“Wedding!” Darcy blurted, coming to a halt. “Who’s getting married?”

Jane turned to her with a soft smile on her face. “You’re getting married.”

“To Loki?”

“Of course!”

Dread pooled in her stomach and her heart stopped. Darcy was getting married. Oh lord! She hadn’t even finished college yet, marriage wasn’t even on the agenda.

“Your Highness? I didn’t mean to shock you like that.” Jane brows furrowed with worry as she gently took Darcy’s hands in her own.

“I’m fine Jane.” Darcy lied. “When is it?”

“Exactly next week.”

“Okay.” Darcy whispered to herself - trying not to panic but failing miserably

“Your coronation is also on the same day.” Jane mentioned.

“Coronation? Oh yeah, the whole queen thing – right.” Her breathing grew laboured and her heart thundered with fear. She was going to be a queen, now that definitely was not on the agenda either. Darcy couldn’t think.

“Jane Foster.” The two women turned to see the stern red-haired woman.

“Your Highness.” She bowed her head towards Darcy. “I am Natasha Romanov.”

“Um, hello.” Darcy replied awkwardly.

“Please forgive me your Highness, but the King has summoned us. I just came to fetch Miss Foster.” Natasha explained, her unnatural blue eyes staring intently at Darcy, unnerving her.

“Will you be okay?” Jane inquired.

“I’ll be fine. I’m _safe_ here, aren’t I?” Darcy replied, feigning calmness.

Jane and Natasha both bowed their heads to Darcy before scampering off. It felt uncomfortable to be treated this respectfully, like she was...a queen. Oh god, this wasn’t happening, was it? She wasn’t going to get married to an alien psycho and be the queen of her own planet.

 She had to get out of here.

Darcy made her way down the corridor in the opposite direction, looking through every door but found that they didn’t lead anywhere. At last she found a door that led to a stairwell, but it turned out that it only descended to another golden hall way. Darcy grunted in frustration before starting again at finding another stairwell.

Darcy only found more endless corridors - that led to more endless corridors.  

As she hurriedly wandered through a particularly long corridor with no doors, Darcy realized that there had curiously been no windows. She hadn’t seen a single one. Darcy turned more uneasy at the thought of being trapped like a rat.

She at last found a large double door – probably mahogany- and was about to peer into it until she heard footsteps coming towards her.

Darcy shot away from the door in fear of looking suspicious. A group of blue eyed women, probably no older than her, stiffly marched down the corridor. They each carried roses in their hands, in which Darcy questioned why, until she remembered – the wedding. 

The women came a halt in front of her, all bowing in unison before straightening up. They all kept their eyes downcast. Darcy frowned in pity. They weren’t the same as Jane and Thor, as they were just delusional. No, these were proper slaves. Their identities were completely wiped out and were now just shells of what they used to be. They were no longer humans that thought and felt: they were zombies.

 Darcy was meant to be queen of mankind, but what was mankind now?

The group of women passed Darcy without a second glance, except one. The tallest of that group remained standing in front of Darcy, easily towering over her even a couple of feet away.

“Are you lost? Your Highness.” She spoke in a cool British accent.

“No.” Darcy fibbed, studying the tall woman. There was something different about her that Darcy couldn’t pin point. The lady had blond hair; lots of freckles that dotted her face and of course glowing blue eyes. But the eyes didn’t look dead and empty as the women previous, nor was her expression creepily whimsical. She looked like she had a brain.

It was then Darcy noticed that the lady was assessing her. “That is the library if you were wondering.” The tall woman nodded to the mahogany doors, keeping cool composure better that Darcy ever could.

“Thanks.” She replied. The woman moved past her without bowing and Darcy watched her go, completely confused about what just happened.

She didn’t ponder over it though as she continued travelling down the corridor.

Several minutes passed before Darcy finally found a turning. Unfortunately, it led directly to a dead end.

“What is this, a maze?” Darcy yelled in frustration.

She hated that she had nowhere to run. She hated how conflicted she was when it came to Loki. She hated that she didn’t have a say in any of this. Why could none of this be simple?

With a scream, Darcy kicked the stone wall in front of her, startling backwards when the stone she kicked unexpectedly moved.

A series of clicks and bolts sounded behind the wall before turning silent. Darcy jumped out of her skin when the wall slid open into a door way. Curiosity pushed Darcy’s fear aside. She peered in to see grey steps slowly descend into blackness. She cautiously stepped into the doorway, finding a handle on the inside which she used to pull the wall back with a click. It probably wasn’t a good idea to close it but Darcy decided she would regret it later.

Darcy slowly creeped down the steps. Lights suddenly flickered on. Though still a little dim, Darcy was glad she wasn’t going into complete darkness. The further she travelled down, the brighter it got. Darcy was flooded with hope - she was nearly outside, she was nearly free!

Darcy ran down the last few steps, only to have her joy dashed to pieces. She wasn’t outside; instead she found herself in a grey chamber. In front of her was what could only be described as a glass cell held together by metal. The interior of it was brightly illuminated. Inside sat a man who was studying Darcy.

“Your eyes aren’t glowing blue.” The man observed. His voice soft yet raspy.

“Neither are yours.” Darcy retorted.

The man slowly stood up and walked closer to the glass. He wasn’t tall, only a little taller than Darcy was. He had scruffy brown hair, peppered with grey, which looked like it hadn’t been combed for weeks. The man’s clothes certainly needed replacing. His thread bare shirt only gave coverage to his shoulders and very little anywhere else. His trousers were in tatters to say the least.

 “You shouldn’t be here.” The man softly warned.

“I figured.” Darcy replied miserably.

“Why are you here?” The man folded his arms, shuffling slightly.

“I don’t know.” Darcy truthfully said. “I was trying to escape ‘cause I’m getting married and becoming queen next week, and I only found this out today from my friend who’s been turn into a mind-slave, so she isn’t herself any more. And she’s not really a friend since she, and some other mind-controlled people, knocked me out yesterday and kidnapped me.”

Darcy was turning to tears as she continued her rant.

“And it turns out I’m the soul mate of a homicidal maniac who’s really good in bed – and yes, that’s a bad thing. Everything’s turned to shit and I’m trapped here and I hate it.”

Darcy broke down into wrecking sobs. She felt like such a fool but she really needed to get all of it of her chest.

“Why are you here?” She asked the man, once her crying subsided a little.

“Because I’m a monster.” The man spoke with guilt and sadness in his voice.

“Are you? You don’t look like one. And no offence, but you don’t look like you could take over a whole planet and enslave everyone.”

A slight smile tugged at the man’s lips. “You don’t have to be Loki to be a monster.”

“This is probably a stupid question but do you know a way to escape this palace?” Darcy sniffed.

“I’m as clueless as you are. Sorry.” The man regrettably replied. “Pardon me for saying, but you don’t exactly look prepared to run away or survive on your own.”

“Well, it was more on an impulse. But I’m stuck here anyway so it doesn’t matter anymore. I might as well be in that cage with you.”

“It wouldn’t be a good idea, trust me.” He quietly mentioned. “If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you?”

“24.”

“My, you’re young. What were you doing before...Loki came onto the scene?”

“I was studying political science at college. Needed credits, so became an intern for Jane – she’s an astrophysicist.”

“Jane Foster?” The man interjected.

 “Yeah. Anyway, she went with Erik to New York-“

“Erik Selvig?”

“Oh you heard of him too! As I was saying, they went to New York for science and I had to stay in New Mexico to look after the labs. Aliens attacked, I was alone for a while, and then Jane, Thor, Tony Stark and some other people I don’t know kidnapped me – so here I am.”

“What has happened to them? Tony, Thor, the rest of the group?” The man inquired with worry.

“Their all mind-slaves.” Darcy answered sorrowfully.

“Blue eyes?”

“Yeah.”

The man sighed, him mouth pressed into a thin line. “I’m so sorry that this has happened to you.” He said. His brown eyes filled with pity.

“Don’t be sorry. That bastard should be sorry.” She fumed.

“I wish I knew how to help you, but I can’t really do much in this cage.” He spoke.

“Is there any way to get you out?”

“Trust me I’ve tried. Loki’s probably put a spell on the cage. He’s the only one who can release me.”

“You too? Loki’s fucking trapped me in this ugly necklace using magic. God, I have no idea what to do.” Darcy sighed. “At least I have someone to talk to who isn’t being controlled.”

The man gave a kind smile. “I’m glad of it too. What’s your name?”

“Darcy.”

“Darcy.” He repeated. “Well Darcy, since we’re both prisoners here, that means we need to stick together – as best we can.”

“Okay?”

“I can’t help you, but I can at least be someone you can talk to.”

“Are you that desperate for a conversation that you would put up with my babbling?” Darcy joked.

“I am. But I think you could do with a friend in this situation. Hey, it will probably keep me sane.” He smiled.

“I’d better go. Jane’s most likely pulling her hair out trying to find me.” Darcy sadly mentioned.

The man nodded in understanding. “Stay strong Darcy.”

Darcy was about to ascend the stairs. “Wait!” She turned around. “I didn’t get your name.”

“It’s Bruce. Bruce Banner.”


	3. In which Darcy gets a taste of truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is long overdue.  
> Un-beta'd

The throne room doors swung open and a wide smile broke out on Loki’s face as two guards entered carrying a limp figure between them – his twisted legs dragging against the floor.

Loki waved a hand and the group in front of him stood and parted to the side without a word.

The guards threw the figure towards the King’s feet.

Scratches, cuts and bruises were littered across his black skin; his nails had been ripped from his fingers and were crusted with blood. The prisoner wheezed as he sucked in a laboured breath, wincing as he straightened his battered body. 

“I see that my guards have done an excellent job with you.” Loki sneered.

The prisoner kept his one eye on the King, remaining silent. His expression was cool and determined – he obviously wasn’t broken yet.

The edge of Loki’s sceptre collided with the victim’s head, knocking him to the ground. The King gave an echoing cackle as the prisoner weakly struggled to raise himself.

“It seems that you’re stubbornness is stead fast, Fury.” Loki jeered. “Why not choose the simpler option and accept what is meant to be?”

He thrusted a sharp kick into the director’s ribs for good measure, causing the man to grunt once more in pain as he lay twisted on his side.

 “You are witnessing unlimited power and yet your mortal mind still denies the truth.”

“Unlimited power still don’t have a magazine yet though, does it?” The director spat, gingerly touching his battered skull and wiping away the seeping blood from the wound.

“Hmm.” Loki sighed, shoulders dropping. “Look around you, at your group of ‘Avengers’.” The King gestured to the group, watching blankly at the side. “You have lost, Fury. Your S.H.I.E.L.D is dispersed; your planet belongs to me. I am your King! Why is this so difficult for you to understand?”

“Listen.” Fury sighed, lifting up his head. “Can you just save the monologue and kill me already, you’ve kept me longer then you need to.”

“But where is the fun in just finishing you off quickly? I have been more than kind, director.”

“Kind? Really?” asked Fury sarcastically. “You could have turned me into one of your flying monkeys at the start, but apparently torturing me for weeks is kind thing to do?”

“You are still alive, are you not?”

“That’s not the point. You didn’t need to keep me and yet you did. All that torture was pointless; you just want an ego boost.” The director exhaled heavily and turned his head away as if to think. A weak laugh suddenly echoed from him, he looked up at Loki whose face was marred with confusion. “Dr Banner was right; your brain is a bag full of cats.”

“We are not here to discuss the beast.” Loki snapped.

“So you _are_ going to kill me then!” Fury exasperated.

“Well that all depends.” Loki began to circle the man on the floor like a vulture. “I am going to give you a choice. You can either become one of them-“He nodded to the group at the side. “-or die.”

The King halted in front of him. “The choice is yours.”

Fury raised his head, his expression hard. “I will never join you.”

“Very well.” Loki nodded to the guards who promptly came and grabbed the prisoner, about to drag him out.

“You’re not going to kill me?” Fury asked with confusion.

“Oh, don’t worry. Your death will come. I just think an execution such as yours should be saved for a _special_ occasion.” It was Loki’s turn to laugh as he howled with sadistic madness, watching the guards exit with Fury in tow.

                                                                                                                              ***

 

Darcy closed the wall behind her, relieved that she didn’t accidently lock in herself behind it - though would that necessarily be a bad thing?

Making a mental map, she scampered down the endless corridor, pondering on how much time she had wasted by getting lost in this place and if Jane would ever find her. Her musings, however, were interrupted when Darcy once again came across the large mahogany doors.

A library - she was, not so subtly, told.

Her curiosity peaked a second time as she slowly gripped the gold handle and pulled it open. Inside was a vast sprawling room filled with mile high shelves of thick sagas and intricate scrolls. Darcy was a mere speck of dust amongst the largeness of her surroundings, intimidated by the shelves covering the length and width of each wall. At the very centre of the room lay a circular table with a single green cushioned chair. At the very centre of the table lay a brick of a book with a blank wooden cover.

Darcy had a suspicious inkling that the book left lying in front of her was no coincidence. Intrigued, she sat down and heaved it open. Flicking through the pages for a while, Darcy deemed that the book had something to do with magical objects from space, though it wasn’t as interesting as it sounded. What was interesting, however, was the reason why this book in particular was left here for her to find? There was a mystery to be solved, and Darcy was strangely glad of it.

The library door opened with an echo. “Your Highness.” Darcy internally groaned.

“What’s up Jane!”

“Time for your dress fitting, you’re already ten minutes late.”

“I’m coming, I’m coming.”

                                                                                                                                    ***

 

The next week flew by way too fast.

As each day reluctantly rolled on, more dread built up within Darcy and her heart thumped faster. She didn’t know if it would be lucky or not if she suffered a heart attack as it seemed that was the direction she was heading in if she didn’t calm down.

Darcy didn’t want to admit it, but she was terrified. She was constantly jumpy and skittish about everything – which was ridiculous since Darcy Lewis was never skittish. But the constant fear of Loki stayed with her – she hadn’t seen him all week, he was bound to appear before Darcy sooner or later and she feared what he might do.

It wasn’t just the looming thought of Loki that made her worry, it was also the fact that the ‘Avengers’ (As Jane told her.) were watching her every move – or it seemed that way, at least.

After being mollycoddled by Jane for a number of hours, Darcy was relieved when the astrophysicist was called off somewhere else as she would find herself blissfully alone and take that opportunity to visit try and visit Bruce.

That was easier said than done, as Darcy would always somehow manage to get herself lost. One more thing also made it difficult – The Avengers.

(Not all of them, but always one would suddenly appear out of nowhere. She must have run into each Avenger by now.)

 “Where are you going?” The certain Avenger would ask, blankly.

Now, Darcy could have said: “I’m just going to visit my prison buddy who’s locked in a cell, which is behind a door disguised as a wall and was put in there by Loki. Don’t mind me!”                                                                                 

However, she doubted that _that_ would go down well.

So instead, Darcy panicked and told the Avenger: “I’m looking for the library.”

They seemed to buy it and were kind enough to escort her to the mahogany doors that held bookshelf after bookshelf of books. Unfortunately, they were less inclined to let Darcy out of their sight. So Darcy was stuck under an Avenger’s blue gaze, half-heartedly reading the brick-book of magical objects and more whole-heartedly pondering about why it was there. This carried on for a few hours until Jane picked her up and took her back to her chambers.

She hated the fact that Jane was her babysitter. Hell, she used to be Jane’s babysitter – how the tables had turned.

The night before the dreaded day had arrived, and there was no longer any hope for Darcy. Tomorrow she would be married to a mad ruler and be queen of her own enslaved race.

“Aren’t you excited?” Jane asked as she cleared objects off her dressing table.

“I am absolutely ecstatic Jane, look how I leap for joy.” Darcy said sarcastically, lounging on her bed in silk pyjamas, fiddling with the chain around her neck.

“You are going to be married to your soul mate, who is _also_ a benevolent ruler. You’re going to live a life people have only dreamed about.”

 Darcy lifted her head. “Do you really believe in all that soul mate crap?”

Jane turned to face her. “It is how fate has planned it.”

“Ha!” Darcy exclaimed, rolling back on the pillows. “So this is all fate’s fault. Well screw you too, Fate!” She extended her middle finger to the ceiling. “Hope you get fucked down to hell.”

Jane ignored her outburst. “Rest, your Highness. You’ve got a big day tomorrow.”

“Don’t I know it?” She muttered as Jane switched the light off and quietly left.

 Darcy tossed and turned throughout the night, fading in and out of a dreamy limbo that she couldn’t quite stay in. Exasperated, nervous, and lonely, Darcy at last opened her eyes and stood from the bed. She stumbled over to the wall and felt around for the light switch, which she eventually found and flicked on. Darcy went over to the dressing table for her glasses and then to the golden closet door to hunt around for a pair of slippers. When she at last found some and donned them, she hastily switched the room into darkness and cautiously cracked open the door.

Her breath hitched in suspense. The corridor was empty. Dim light shone from glowing orbs in the walls like lit torches in a castle. They seemed to float and flicker like a suspended ball of energy. _Perhaps that is what they are._ Darcy thought, amazed and puzzled by the alien technology.

Deeming the corridor safe, Darcy slipped out and, as gently as she could, creeped through to reach the stairwell. Over the past week, Darcy had perfected her mental map of the maze and was certain that she knew where she was going. Her quiet confidence, however, could not stop her from shaking at the thought of being caught. Darcy quickly bundled together a few excuses she could say if anyone spotted her, but the vast emptiness and ghostly lights she floated through told her that it would be unlikely.

When she passed the library doors, Darcy knew she was on the right track. She felt oddly proud of herself for at last knowing the way and was soon at the disguised door. She pushed a couple of bricks with her foot before finding the right one - the secret door opened. She entered, and closing the wall behind her, descended into darkness.

Darcy soon reached the light.

“Bruce?” She gently called.

“Mmm...what?” Bruce sleepily sat up in his cage. “Oh! Darcy.” He said when he spotted her. He lazily ruffled his hair and crawled closer to the glass as Darcy sat opposite him.

“Sorry, I should have guessed you’d be asleep. It’s just that I couldn’t, and I have been meaning to talk to you all week, but the ‘Avengers’ – or whatever – kept on stopping me so I never got the chance. Are you holding up alright?”

“Yeah, yeah. Well - as well as I can stuck in a... are you wearing pyjamas?”

Darcy bashfully smiled. “Yeah, I thought we could have a slumber party. Please ignore my nipples.”

Bruce shook with laughter as Darcy giggled. The hilarity eventually died down.

“This is the first time I’ve laughed since – well not for a while.” said Bruce, his head tilting to the side slightly.

“Same here.” Darcy replied.

“A week.” Bruce thought aloud, stroking his chin. “That means-“

“The wedding’s tomorrow.” Darcy nodded sadly.

“Does this make it a hen night, then?”

Darcy bent double as she burst out laughing. “You’re terrible!”

Bruce chuckled silently. “I’m sorry.”

“Oh don’t be sorry, this is exactly what I needed at the moment.”

Bruce’s subdued look sobered her. “But what you want is to escape.”

Darcy inhaled, nibbling her lip. “I’ve given up all hope of escaping. It’s so frustrating! I’m powerless and I feel so alone in all of this. No, I shouldn’t complain. I could be a mind slave – or even dead but ... sometimes I think that might be a better option. I could have died with free will or be a zombie that’s completely oblivious to what’s happening and not feel so useless. Does that sound weird?”

Bruce smiled kindly. “No, it makes sense.” He tenderly put his hand on the glass. “But Darcy, you know you don’t have to be alone in this?”

She looked up into his soft brown eyes. They were sincere, kind, yet deep in his irises lay something that had been tucked away and was peeking out in the corners, ready to be provoked. It unnerved Darcy, but a thought came to her that Bruce was letting her see his innermost being - just for a moment – to give her the blink of trust she needed to lean against him.  And so she put her hand on the glass next to his. “Thanks.” Darcy whispered.

He smiled back, almost blushing.

“Don’t you hate the universe sometimes?” Darcy said after a moment.

“I guess I do.” Bruce realized. “In a metaphorical sense, I suppose.”

“It’s just I’m trying to get my head around this whole ‘fate’s plan’ or whatever.”

“I didn’t think that you were a fatalist.” said Bruce.

“I’m not, believe me.” Darcy crowed. “But all I’ve heard about since being kidnapped is how I’m Loki’s soul mate and it’s meant to be. I don’t really know what to think anymore.”

“Hmm. Being the soul mate to an Asgardian, with a God complex as big and as messed up as his ego, yet not allowed to have a say in any of it.” Bruce pondered before flippantly nodding. “Yeah, Fate’s a bitch in this scenario.”

“I didn’t even say a word before pouncing on him.” She said retrospectively. “Honestly, we couldn’t keep our hands off each other. It was as if the universe was just pushing our heads together to make us kiss. I couldn’t stop myself; I had absolutely no control over what happened. Oh God, I think I’m going to throw up in the middle of the aisle in front of everybody, tomorrow.”

Bruce bent his head slightly to look into her eyes. “You can’t give up hope, Darcy. Please don’t.”

“I’m trying not to.”

“Then don’t.” He gently said. “You’re a brave person, Darcy. You’re going to look absolutely beautiful as you walk down that aisle – even though at the end of it will be somebody we both hate – but you’re going to be a queen. So even though Fate has screwed us both over and we have lost everything, we have to take whatever we have left and hold our chins up high. You won’t break Darcy, and as long as we stick together, I won’t either.”

“Are you a therapist or something?” Darcy inquired with a small smile.

Bruce shook his head. “Well, I am a-a doctor.”

“Ooh, that’s cool.”

“Well ... it’s in, uh, nuclear physics.” He said quietly.

“That explains how you heard of Jane and Erik.” Darcy realized.

“Um ... yeah. Well, you see I’ve actually, uh, met them.” Bruce shuffled backwards with his eyes down cast. A singular thought pushed to the front of Darcy’s mind.

“You were with them, weren’t you?” She quietly asked. Bruce huffed in conformation.

“What happened?” Darcy leaned her shoulder against the glass, holding her knees like Bruce was.

“You’ve heard of S.H.I.E.L.D I presume?”

Darcy nodded.

“Well S.H.I.E.L.D had something called the Tesseract. It’s –uh- a blue cube filled with unlimited radioactive energy. S.H.I.E.L.D wanted to harness that energy to make it into a weapon and Dr Foster and Dr Selvig were working with S.H.I.E.L.D to research what the Tesseract was. From my own understanding, Loki came through the Tesseract, stole it, and used the sceptre to take over the minds of several people – including Jane and Erik.”

Darcy shuddered. “The sceptre, that’s the reason why they all have blue eyes. It’s his staff!” She realized.

“He carries it around everywhere.” Bruce said.

“How did you become involved in this?” Darcy asked.

“Well, I was ... located to help locate the Tesseract. Long story short, Loki used the Tesseract to unleash his army, he won and ... well, you know the rest.”

Bruce sighed deeply, wringing his hands. “It’s hard to get your head around it, I know.”

“There’s one thing I don’t understand. If Loki has mind-controlled everyone else, why hasn’t he done it to you?” Darcy asked.

Bruce’s lips were pressed into a thin line. “Because he can’t.”

“Huh?”

“Darcy I-“ He closed his mouth. “I would rather not talk about it.” Bruce had curled himself up even tighter, the muscles were tense and looked like they were about to burst. “Darcy, I think you should leave.”

She blinked at the command, not knowing what else to do, she stood to leave.

“Good night Bruce.” She said uncertainly as she hesitantly walked back to ascend the stairs.

A horrifying pained noise sounded behind her; she moved to turn around.

_SLAM. **“DON’T LOOK AT ME!”**_

Darcy shot into a run. Her heart screamed in her ears. As a deafly roar chased her, a solid step tripped her up, sending her knee to collide with the unmerciful concrete. Darcy scrambled up through the rest of the darkness, slid open the door, hopped out, and hastily slid it shut. Calming down from the adrenalin, Darcy found that she could not stop shaking; her heart had not ceased trying to escape from her chest.

 _Oh Bruce._ She thought. _What has happened to you?_

Fatigue had started to rest over her mind and Darcy heartily agreed that going to bed was the next best thing.

“Ah!” She howled as she took a step. _Must have really done some damage._

As silently as possible, Darcy hopped through the maze on her good leg and made it back to her chambers unspotted. Hiding under the sheets, she soon drifted off to sleep – her nightmares filled with the colour green.


End file.
